Bethel Missouri 1989 Main Stage Performances (audio only)

Performances of traditional Midwestern fiddling and other music recorded on the main stage at the 1989 Mid-America Old Time Fiddlers Convention. June 8-11, 1989. At Bethel, Shelby County, Missouri.

Vesta Johnson - Missouri Fiddler

Video clips of veteran Missouri fiddler Vesta Johnson.

University of Chicago Folk Festival 2015 with Patt & Possum

From the Sunday afternoon square dance at the 55th Annual University of Chicago Folk Festival. February 15, 2015. Music by Charlie Walden - fiddle & Patt Plunkett - piano (aka Patt & Possum) with calling by Bill Sudkamp. Here renditions of Buck Fever Rag, Lucky Trapper, Jimmy Walker Two-Step and Forked Deer. PnP are joined on Forked Deer by a whole gaggle on fine Midwestern fiddlers - Genevieve Koester, Cliff Harrison, Megan Greene and the inimitable Chirps Smith.

Patt's Piano Workshop

Examples of piano accompaniment for Midwestern and Canadian fiddle tunes by Patt Plunkett.

St. Louis Folk School Fiddle Workshop (October 31, 2015)

From a workshop presented at the KDHX St. Louis Folk School on October 31, 2015. With Patt & Possum - Charlie Walden (fiddle) and Patt Plunkett (piano). The workshop focused on tunes that can be attributed to African American fiddle players of the early 20th Century from Callaway and surrounding Central Missouri counties.

Callaway County in Mid-Missouri, in addition to once being a hotbed of Civil War secessionists, is known for its many great old-time fiddlers.  Among these was legendary African-American Bill Katon of Tebbetts, the namesake of Katon’s Hornpipe. While I never knew Katon, as he passed away in 1934, I heard many stories about him and a lot of the old-timers could play his tunes or tunes referenced to other Black musicians in Callaway County. So we’ll explore this tradition with tunes I derived from Jake Hockemeyer, Taylor McBaine and Keith Orchard.

2012 Missouri State Fair Fiddle Championship

Participants in the 2012 Missouri State Fair Fiddling Championship. The contest is held every year in August on the last day of the fair.

2014 Missouri State Fair Fiddle Championship

Participants in the 2014 Missouri State Fair Fiddling Championship. The contest is held every year in August on the last day of the fair.

St. Louis Folk School Fiddle Workshop September 27, 2014

When I was growing up one of my biggest influences was Pete McMahan of Harrisburg, MO.  Pete was without question the top fiddler of his generation.  He could play more types of tunes, had more technical command of instrument, won more contests and arguably had more DRIVE than anyone else back in those days. I’ll show you some of the tunes and techniques I picked up from Pete and let you in on some great field recordings of Pete that I’ve had squirreled away.

John P. Williams Monroe County Influences Available As Download - Great Missouri Fiddling!

Videos of John P. Williams Fiddling

Old Square Dance Records

Various old square dance records from my personal collection.

1983 Missouri State Fiddle Championship - Hickman High School, Columbia.

Performance at the 1983 Missouri State Fiddling Championship held at Hickman High School in Columbia on September 3, 1983. 

Open Division 2016 IL State Fiddle Contest

Open Division & call-back round to determine 2016 State Fiddle Champion. Highlights of the 2016 Illinois State Fiddle Championship held each October in Effingham, IL. This event happened on October 16, 2016.